Moselle canalization

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The course of the Moselle river with barrages

The Moselle canalization was the damming regulation of the Moselle in the years 1958 to 1964 from Metz to the confluence with the Rhine near Koblenz . The Moselle was thus expanded to a major shipping route for ships up to 1500 tons over a length of 270 km . The basis was the Moselle Treaty of October 27, 1956, in which the Moselle bordering states Germany , Luxembourg and France undertook to develop the Moselle from Koblenz to Thionville into a European shipping route. France took over the expansion from Thionville to Metz on its own until 1964.

The fact continuing in the years navigable in 1979 on the upper reaches of the Moselle reached the French place Neuves-Maisons . This means that today 394 km of the river with a total of 28 dams with a height of fall of along 161 m has been expanded. In the years 1992 to 1999 the fairway was deepened from 2.70 m to 3.00 m. The Moselle, which has been used intensively by freight, passenger and sport shipping since the canalisation, is one of the most traveled waterways in Europe .

history

Roman to Electorate times

The Romans already used the Moselle as a waterway and had plans to make it more navigable. Reliefs on the Igel column and the Neumagen wine ship testify to the transport of wine and cloth across the Moselle. The Moselle shipping is also mentioned in the poem Mosella by Ausonius . Up until the 19th century, however, only small barges with a shallow draft sailed the Moselle , which had to be hauled upstream . The fluctuating water level and current often hindered the transport of cargo. After the Romans withdrew, important Moselle ports remained in Metz and Trier . A harbor crane had been in operation in Trier since 1413 . A market ship has operated between Trier and Koblenz since the 17th century. The Electors of Trier often use the Moselle as a transport route and, even then, ensured that larger obstacles were broken out of the rocky river bed.

Prussian expansion 1839–1903

After Prussia took over the Moselle as part of the Rhine Province in 1815 , measures were taken to promote steam shipping . From 1839 to 1850 groynes and longitudinal works were built to regulate the river . From 1850 to 1870 they worked along the Prussian-Luxembourgish border to the French border, in order to achieve a minimum depth of 70 cm between Perl and Trier. Between Trier and Traben-Trarbach the minimum depth should be 85 cm and at the rest of the Lower Moselle it should be 90 cm. Construction work here lasted until 1903.

The first steamship called "Ville de Metz" started in 1839 on the river between Metz and Trier. In 1841 regular steamboat traffic began between Trier and Koblenz. With the commissioning of the Moselle railway line from 1879 and the associated great competition in the transport sector, no further investments were made in Moselle shipping until it was finally completely discontinued in 1934.

French expansion 1867–1874

France began work on canals between Frouard and Metz in 1867. These were to be continued until they reached the Prussian border at Sierck and were to be connected to the Rhine-Marne Canal . The locks had a size of 38.5 mx 6 m for ships up to 300 tons. The aim was to connect the north-eastern tip of France, which was more oriented towards the Mediterranean , to the French canal network. Due to the Franco-German War of 1870/71, the work was interrupted. The Peace of Frankfurt determined that work would continue after Alsace-Lorraine was annexed to the German Reich . After completion in 1874, however, the canal did not even reach Metz. In the years that followed, the city tried to improve its economic situation and brought in petitions to continue the canal works.

Planning for congestion regulation 1883–1922

Carl Spaeter

The industrialist and president of the Chamber of Commerce Koblenz Carl Spaeter made after prior correspondence with the Chamber of Commerce Metz on 10 November 1883 an entry to the dam regulating the Mosel to the Royal Prussian Ministry of Public Works . The engineer Friedel from Metz drew up a first draft to regulate the damming of the Moselle from Metz to Koblenz with 32 barrages in 1885. Prussia founded a Moselle Canal Enquête under the leadership of the High President of the Rhine Province Moritz von Bardeleben . He was a benevolent sponsor of the project, but the Prussian government was rather hostile to the whole thing. Further expansion designs followed by 1922, none of which was implemented.

The most important means of transport for the coal and steel industry at this time was the railroad to transport their goods between the Saar / Luxembourg / Lorraine on the one hand and the Ruhr / Lower Rhine on the other. Later he had stakes in the Lorraine iron industry and was therefore very interested in a better connection. The transport over a developed Moselle, however, would have dramatically reduced the income of the railway companies. Luxembourg feared a disadvantage for its economy, as its industrial areas were too far away from the Moselle. Prussia also saw the whole thing from a military point of view: an expansion of the Moselle would have posed a danger, for example all Moselle bridges were equipped with explosive chambers .

German expansion 1938–1951

Koblenz barrage with two locks, weir and hydroelectric power station

From 1938 to 1940, the German government was concerned with making the Moselle navigable for large-scale shipping. A draft was drawn up that provided for the river to be expanded for ships with a draft of up to 1.50 m over an initial length of 190 km. Later, the expansion was to be extended to 270 km. For this purpose, the construction of six barrages was planned.

The construction of the Koblenz barrage began in 1941. Due to the chaos of war and the heavy air raids on Koblenz in World War II, the project had to be discontinued. From 1948 to 1951, the construction of the dam has been directed by the French occupying power with a hydroelectric power plant , a rolling weir and a 122.5 x 12 m wide lock finally completed.

Moselle contract 1956 and expansion to a large shipping route 1958–1964

Inauguration by Grand Duchess Charlotte, Federal President Lübke and State President De Gaulle (right: spouses) on May 26, 1964.

So far, the tributaries of the Rhine Neckar and Main have been developed into large shipping routes, but the Moselle has not. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this was primarily due to the border situation of the Moselle and the ongoing conflicts in the neighboring states. After the end of the Second World War, the political attitude in Europe changed and the question of the Moselle development came up again. When the European Coal and Steel Community was founded in 1951, France asked for the Moselle to be expanded in order to connect the iron and steel industry in Lorraine with the Rhine. In the course of the Franco-German consultations in the run-up to the Paris Treaties , Germany expressed its concerns about the further construction of the Rhine Canal , which led to protests on the German side, and in return pleaded for a loop solution on the Upper Rhine . After the talks between Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the French Prime Minister Pierre Mendès France in 1954/55, a joint commission was created to solve these problems. Then there was the solution to the Saar question . France agreed in principle to the annexation of the Saarland to the Federal Republic, but linked it to the approval of the expansion of the Moselle. After the parties had come to an agreement, Luxembourg's consent was still required. The country initially saw this as a disadvantage for its industry. However, the Luxembourg government did not want to stand in the way of a Franco-German unification, as it had often enough been the victim of a conflict between the two states, and ultimately approved the expansion of the Moselle with its own participation.

The difficult negotiations between the three Moselle bordering states ultimately led to an amicable settlement of the Moselle expansion. The Moselle Treaty was signed on October 27, 1956 in Luxembourg by the French Foreign Minister Christian Pineau , the Luxembourg State Minister Joseph Bech and the German Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano . At the same time, the French and German Foreign Ministers signed the Luxembourg Treaty regulating the Saar question and expanding the Upper Rhine. These agreements five months before the conclusion of the Rome Treaties were not only of economic importance but also had a strong political dimension. They were a step towards overcoming the hostilities of the past.

The Moselle Treaty determined the expansion of the Moselle over a distance of 270 km between Koblenz and Thionville. France undertook to expand the Thionville − Metz line at its own expense. Work on completing the Moselle major shipping route lasted from 1958 to 1964. On May 26, 1964, the Moselle from Metz to Koblenz was opened to shipping. The opening of the Moselle Canal was celebrated with a ship parade with the participation of the French President Charles de Gaulle , the Luxembourg Grand Duchess Charlotte and the German Federal President Heinrich Lübke . Ships with a load of up to 1500 tons could now navigate the river. In addition to the existing Koblenz barrage, the Moselle was provided with a further 13 barrages up to Thionville. Since then, the minimum width of the fairway has been 40 m with a guaranteed depth of 2.5 m. The construction costs specified in the contract were estimated at 370 million  DM , of which Germany took on 120 million, France 248 million and Luxembourg 2 million. The additional costs were shared between Germany and France at a ratio of 12:25. The actual total cost was approximately 780 million DM (400 million euros ) without the hydropower plants.

Further expansion after 1964

Construction work on the Trier lock, October 2016

After the Moselle was opened to shipping in 1964, France worked on a further expansion of the Upper Moselle in the following years. In 1969 the section to Pagny, 1972 to Frouard and 1979 to Neuves-Maisons could be released. Since then, the waterway has a total length of 394 km with a total of 28 barrages and a total head of 161 m. In the years 1992 to 1999 the fairway was deepened from 2.70 m to 3.00 m and thus increased the possible cargo load of a ship again. The Zeltingen barrage was also equipped with a second lock from 2003 , which was put into operation in May 2010. In Fankel, a second lock chamber, the construction of which had started in 2006, was also put into operation at the end of August 2013. After Zeltingen-Rachtig and Fankel, we have been working on a second lock in Trier since 2014. A further seven barrages in the Moselle towns of Lehmen, Wintrich, Müden, Detzem, Enkirch, Sankt Aldegund and Koblenz are to be equipped with a second lock chamber by 2036.

Barrages

Lehmen barrage with hydroelectric power station, weir and sluice

A total of 28 barrages are located along the Moselle.

The barrage at Detzem has the greatest drop height of nine meters and the longest retention at 29 kilometers ; it is the only barrage with a lock canal.

The structures of the barrages are usually arranged in such a way that the ship lock is on one bank, the weir in the middle of the river and the hydroelectric power station with a fish ladder on the other bank . There is a hydropower plant at all twelve barrages in Germany and Luxembourg, and at another five locations in France. At the other barrages, the amount of water is insufficient to operate a hydropower plant. The ten German hydropower plants have a total output of 180 megawatts . The total annual German output is 800 million  kWh , enough energy for 250,000 households. Because of the smaller amount of water, the Luxembourg and French hydropower plants have a lower output. The dam targets and hydropower plants are controlled by the central control room of RWE Power AG at Fankel .

Headquarters of the Moselle Commission in Trier, Franz-Ludwig-Straße 21

Moselle Commission

The Moselle Commission is a multinational organization that regulates all shipping matters on the Moselle from Koblenz to the underwater area of ​​the Metz lock. It lays down the regulations for the traffic, for the skipper's license , the minimum crew and the shipping taxes. The Moselle Commission, based in Trier, was founded in 1962 by the three Moselle bordering states Germany, Luxembourg and France.

Moselle shipping

Commercial and industrial port in Trier-Ehrang

The Moselle has been used intensively by freight, passenger and sport shipping since the canalisation. With the completion of the large shipping route for cargo ships , the Moselle was classified as a European inland waterway  Vb. With an annual freight volume of 15-16 million tons and a transport performance of more than 3 billion ton kilometers, the Moselle is one of the most heavily traveled waterways in Europe . A number of new inland ports for handling goods were built along the river, or existing ones were expanded. Thus, for example, from 1964 to 1966 in the Luxembourg Mertert with the Port de Mertert in the Grand Duchy, the only cargo port created. The commercial and industrial port, built from 1963 to 1965, was built in Trier-Ehrang . With the Europort Lorraine near Thionville and the industrial port in Metz, there are important French ports along the Moselle.

In addition to freight shipping, passenger ships operate between the wine-growing villages and small towns of the Central and Lower Moselle . There are also ports for recreational shipping . Specially created boat locks have been integrated into the barrages for pleasure craft and yachts . There is the possibility of water skiing on specially marked routes , and jet skis are also permitted here.

The Moselle is connected to the Meuse , the Saône and the Rhone , among others, by the Rhine-Marne Canal near Toul . The North Sea and the Mediterranean can be reached via other channels .

Environmental impact

During construction, the planners of the Moselle expansion tried to preserve the typical character of the Moselle valley . The barrages fit into the natural environment without any disruptive effects. The dredged material accumulated during construction was brought into the side valleys of the Moselle and planted. The bank of the river was restored according to the original landscape and ecological aspects. In order to allow fish migration to continue, the barrages were equipped with fish ladders . The fishing was dismissed the resulting slack water areas behind islands and parallel works as a fishing spots to. Special attention was also given to flood protection . In this way, damage that can result from the damming of the water above the barrages is prevented by seepage pipes and pumping stations . In addition, the buildings near the river were secured against the ingress of groundwater and stream mouths were relocated. However, the expansion partially led to a loss of archaeological findings, as the remains of Roman river crossings, for example, had to be destroyed when the fairway was deepened. However, this was also an opportunity to research it, for example the preserved Roman bridge in Trier including its predecessor structures could be examined more closely. The Balduin Bridge in Koblenz suffered the greatest damage, a large part of which had to be demolished because its arches were too narrow for modern Moselle ships.

  • The Moselle near Marienburg before the canalization (around 1900)

  • The Moselle near Marienburg after the canalisation (2004)

  • The Moselle loop near Bremm

  • A passenger ship on the Moselle near Kesten

literature

  • Norbert Etringer: From the history of the Mosel shipping , 2nd unchanged edition, 217 p. 72 photos and illustrations, 1978, Ed. J.-P. Krippler-Muller, Luxembourg. Imprimerie Burg, Echternach
  • M. Friedel: The project to channel the Moselle from Metz to Coblenz. Lintz, Trier 1885 ( digitized version )
  • Lucien Gretsch: 20 years of the Mosel Canal: The Moselle as a shipping route , Luxemburger Wort, 1984, vol. 137, no. 122: 17–18.
  • Carlo Hemmer: The Moselle canalisation and us , D'Letzeburger Land, June 22, 1956
  • The expansion of the Moselle - commemorative publication on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Moselle waterway - published by the Internationale Mosel-Gesellschaft mbh May 26, 1964 , German / French, 82 pp.
  • Great shipping route Mosel - On May 26 inauguration by the heads of state of France, Luxembourg and the Federal Republic of Germany , the Bulletin of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Bonn, 26 May 1964 No. 83, S. 753rd - 757
  • Marlies Kutz, Gertrud Milkereit: Contributions to the history of the Moselle canalization , Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirtsch.-Archiv Cologne, 320 S., 1967, ISBN 978-3-933025-09-8 .
  • Martin Eckoldt (Ed.): Rivers and Canals, The History of German Waterways , DSV, Hamburg / Busse-Seewald, Herford 1998, ISBN 3-88412-243-6 (Volume 1) and ISBN 3-88412-286-X ( Volume 2)
  • Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Südwest: Compendium of the Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Südwest . Organizational and technical data, inland navigation, tasks, waterways. Self-published, Mainz June 2007.

Web links

Commons : Mosel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Elector Balduin ( memento of July 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) in: Diocese of Trier, accessed on January 15, 2010
  2. ↑ a b c 50th anniversary of the Moselle Treaty of 1956. (PDF) Moselle Commission, p. 11 , accessed on January 17, 2010 (527 kB).
  3. ^ Chronology of the history of Pünderich , puenderich.de, accessed on January 7, 2010
  4. ^ [1] in: Rhein-Zeitung
  5. ↑ [2] in: Trierischer Volksfreund